New Federal Funds Can’t Restore OPWDD Cuts

Cuts to the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities are likely to go through in the final budget agreement, with about $30 million being restored to the initial $120 million decrease.

The money was cut from OPWDD’s budget in order to cover costs after a $500 million hole was blown in the state budget over a dispute with the federal government over Medicaid overbilling.

Some lawmakers were hopeful earlier this week that a $598.7 million comeptitive federal grant won by New York over the weekend from the Centers for Medicaid Services could help restore some of those cuts.

But a senior Cuomo administration official confirmed today the money cannot be used to restore or replace the developmental disability cuts, which will impact service providers.

“The reduction is going to be a real reduction,” the official said.

Broadly, the money from the federal government, announced in a letter made available to some lawmakers last weekend and addressed to Cuomo’s Medicaid czar Jason Helgerson, says the funds are earmarked for long-term care that is an alternative to institutionalization.

The money is being made available between April 1 of this year and Sept. 30, 2015.

The official was hopeful, however, the money will be used to fund “new, good programs” for long-term care as alternatives to institutionalization.

As for the final OPWDD spending cut, the governor has said he wants to seek administrative overhead reductions at service providers and not impact direct care.

This entry was posted by Nick Reisman on March 22, 2013 at 4:31 pm, and is filed under Andrew Cuomo. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

http://www.facebook.com/mi.ha.52459 Mi Ha

It’s obvious that Mr. Cuomo doesn’t value the services that OPWDD voluntary agencies provide to individuals with developmental disabilities.If he thinks that’s there’s a lot administrative waste, he couldn’t be more wrong! He seriously has no idea! Apparently, I am what he refers to as administrative waste. If he thinks that these huge cuts will be implemented solely through administrative cuts, again he couldn’t be more wrong! It will affect programs and services that agencies are able to provide. He’s increased funding to other programs and services. The state has the money for a $350 rebate to families with kids – thanks for omitting single working people. Afterall, single working people don’t need any assistance. And I’m sure a family making $300,000 really needs that $350 rebate check. I just hope that Mr. Cuomo never needs the services of an OPWDD voluntary provider agency! I am completely disgusted by the Governor and offended that he refers to hardworking and overworked employees such as myself as “Administrative Waste”. Did the governor tell you that if it wasn’t for the state overbilling medicaid for many years, that we would not be in this situation in the first place! Again, he’s punishing the innocent for a problem that the state created!

No more beatings please

I believe the Governor’s target is highly compensated executives, most of which have contracts. The people with contracts will not be getting cut or salaries reduced, just the lower paid employees. What world does he live in?. .

Autismmom

If that “man” spent five minutes in my shoes, not only would he not cut money for the most vulnerable populations, but he would ask me what more he could do for us. He’s lucky to have “typical” kids. But he can kiss the special needs vote goodbye. What a disgrace, punishing the innocents. Good people, who actually help our children will lose their jobs. They provide vital service to an under served population. Nice way to balance the budget, taking away from special needs children and adults. Seems to me smart folks could have trimmed the fat elsewhere. What happened to common decency, and compassion? It’s going to cost New York State much more money to figure out what to do with the thousands of unskilled special needs adults that will result from the cuts in service now. That’s what the agencies do, train our kids to be contributing members of society. How short sighted and self serving. But what does he care? NY is just a stepping stone to a White House bid anyway. Then the special needs community really needs to be scared. And I had high hopes for this guy, what a colossal disappointment. How does he sleep at night, knowing he just screwed thousands of special needs CONSITUENTS? Does he realize that most of us parents don’t sleep, and are sick with worry about what will become of our children

Autismmom

I totally agree with you. The agencies will take a huge hit from this cut. You folks are the ones who really help our children hands on, and I am so grateful. Seems the governor has shown which populations he has chosen to support, while ignoring the pleas of special needs parents who do not have the luxury of wanting the best for their children; we cannot even get the basics. I’m afraid we’ll go back to a Willowbrook model, and that’s terrifying.
Thank you for what you do to help the lives of our innocents. I hope one day someone can right this wrong.

adkkda

This is not the governor’s fault but the previous administrations. They were told over 8 yrs ago that funding for the CIT programs was illegal and that they would have to pay it back, that time is now here. The state of ny needs to get out of the Intellectual disabilities field and leave it up to the private sector.